Marvel's 'Phase II': PART 1 (The 'Big Guns')

(Keep in mind that this entry is based on what has been given to us so far in regards to these upcoming movies, as we are still many months (or even a few years) from the dates that they will be released to theaters)

It has now been more than three months since 'The Avengers' hit the big screen. As you might have guessed (after all, with a total gross of more than 1 billion, you must have seen it), it was a superhero film that clearly lived up to the hype that was around ever since the original Iron Man film back in 2008 and truly took comic book movies to the next level. Now that Marvel has hit the jackpot with 'Avengers', the question now is how will Marvel move on with this universe that they have created now that they have succeeded with their original plan. Well, that's what we're looking at today, their 'Phase 2'. Of course, Marvel is now hard at work on sequels for Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America but what other characters from the long line of Marvel's heroes will join the Avengers in the obvious sequel that will come out sooner or later for a company that is now owned by Disney? Well, let's start off with the 'Big 3' of the Avengers...





First up on the schedule for Marvel is Iron Man 3. It's safe to say that the Iron Man franchise has become the crown jewel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only was it the film that jumpstarted the whole universe in the first place, but the two Iron Man movies are the highest-grossing 'Pre-Avenger' films out of the five movies that came before the ultimate team-up. This new Iron Man movie will also see a change in direction. Because he is working on a film based around Disneyland, Jon Favreau will not be helming this new film and is instead replaced by Shane Black. Some of you may not know who this guy is, but he does have a solid line of work to his name, most notably the first two 'Lethal Weapon' movies. He also directed the 2005 critical hit 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' which starred Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr.



From what has reported so far, this film will be based on the 'Extremis' storyline from the Iron Man comics, a storyline that actually has been an integral part of the previous two Iron Man movies. The origin for Stark as Iron Man seen during this storyline was used in the first film and the plotline of Tony trying to find a cure for the palladium poisoning he was experiencing in Iron Man 2 gave way to his new armor, which resembled armor from that storyline. The film will also be partially filmed in China, where it will be co-financed and distributed there by DMG Entertainment. Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle will reprise their roles as Pepper Potts and James Rhodes, respectively, and new members of the cast include Ben Kingsley as 'The Mandarin', Guy Pearce as scientist Aldrich Killian and Rebecca Hall as Dr. Maya Hansen. Iron Man 3 will hit theaters on May 3, 2013, continuing the tradition of having Marvel release a film on the first week of May every year since Spider-Man 3 in 2007.



Next up for Marvel will be the sequel to 'Thor', 'Thor: The Dark World'. Surprisingly, Thor 2 will not be released in summer but instead during November, the 8th of November to be exact. It is a date that you would probably never expect to see a superhero film be released, especially in today's era of blockbusters. This is most likely because 'Thor 2' had a rather troubled pre-production which forced it to be moved from its original July 26th release date. Before Alan Taylor, who has directed episodes of 'Sopranos', 'Man Men', 'Boardwalk Empire', and 'Game of Thrones', was announced as director, there were two other directors that were first hired for the job. The first director Marvel considered was Brian Kirk who, like Taylor, had directed episodes of Game of Thrones. Kirk soon left due to 'contractual problems' and was replaced by Patty Jenkins, director of the film 'Monster'. Jenkins would ultimately leave the project due to 'creative differences' and Taylor was hired instead to take the place of the original film's director, Kenneth Branagh.



While the original Thor was restricted only to Thor's homeworld of Asgard, the icy world of Jotunheim, and our own planet Earth, Thor 2 will, according to producer Kevin Feige, "take Thor literally to other worlds" so it seems likely that this sequel will explore more into the nine realms of the cosmos. Most of the actors from the first movie are slated to return, with the exception of Joshua Dallas (Fandral) who has commitments to ABC's 'Once Upon a Time'. In his place will be Zachary Levi, who was considered for the role originally for the first film, but couldn't take the role due to obligations towards his show 'Chuck'. Christopher Eccleston has been cast as Malekith the Accursed, the ruler of the race known as the Dark Elves from the realm of Svartalfheim.





Closing out the 'Big' 3' superheroes of The Avengers will be Captain America, whose next movie, 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', will see a release in 2014. Like 'Thor 2', the date is rather unique for a superhero movie, as it is set to be released on April 4th, 2014. The reason why it is not taking the spot during the first week of May is because that is the set date for 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'. Like with the new sequels to Iron Man and Thor, this new Captain America will also see a change in directors. This time, there are two men helming the film, Anthony and Joe Russo, most notable for being Executive Producers on the cult hit show 'Community' on NBC. From the title, it seems clear that the writers will bring back the character of James 'Bucky' Barnes, who was supposedly killed off in 'The First Avenger' as in the comics, he becomes The Winter Soldier, an enemy of Captain America.







So that's what happening for Marvel down the line when it comes to the established major superheroes of 'The Avengers'. But wait, what about the Hulk? Along with Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, The Hulk was the only other member of the team who had a movie of his own before 'Avengers' and Mark Ruffalo was universally praised for his performance as Bruce Banner so it seems obvious for a new Hulk film starring Ruffalo to happen, right? Well sadly at this point, no official 'Hulk' film has been confirmed. Just a piece of advice, Marvel; when you do make the movie, don't recast Ruffalo. That's the whole reason why he was in 'The Avengers' in the first place because he replaced Edward Norton. It is most likely that we won't be seeing another Hulk film until 2015.



As for the other three sequels for Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, it will be a while before we see footage for these movies so we can only wait and see how they will turn out. With Iron Man 3, I haven't seen anything from director Shane Black but the fact that he has worked with Robert Downey Jr before is assuring. I'm a little more worried about 'Thor 2' mainly due to the many changes of directors but now that is no longer an issue, it seems like smooth sailing from here on out. Plus, having a director who has previously helmed 'Game of Thrones' is a pretty good replacement for Kenneth Branagh. As long as Taylor maintains the same level of class that Branagh brought to the first film, we should be good. Finally, with Captain America, Joss Whedon did a great job at handling how Steve Rogers adjusted to living in the modern world and we can only wait and see what happens to him next. Only time will tell...